2 runs through Greenbelt woods in the rain

Participants ran a three-mile race, sponsored by the Staten Island Athletic Club and Greenbelt Conservancy, at the Greenbelt Nature Center this past Saturday morning. This race followed a one-mile run, a Scholarship Trail Race, that was open to youngsters in grades 1 through 8.
(Staten Island Advance/Mark Stein)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - SEA VIEW - Showers weren't going to stop them.

The Greenbelt Nature Center was the meeting point for two Sea View-based runs this past Saturday morning, and dozens of youngsters and adults gathered for a one-mile and three-mile race.

Heavy rains drenched the running trail in the morning, but weather conditions improved shortly after 11 a.m., the starting time for the day's first competition, the inaugural Scholarship Trail Race, which was held in honor of Greg Buck, a firefighter stationed in Brooklyn who died as a result of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Both races were sponsored by the Staten Island Athletic Club (SIAC) and the Greenbelt Conservancy. They raised $500.

Last year, the Club gave out $5,000 to deserving high-school seniors.

The first race admitted only first- through eighth-grade students.

"It was slippery and everything, but it was fun to jump around," said Ariella Garcia of West Brighton. The 11-year-old had no problem picking her way through muddy trails; in fact, she snagged third place.

Ariella said she'll be back next year and enjoyed the challenge, claiming that despite soggy conditions, hot summer weather is much worse.

"I like this," she said.

Sean Drennan and Taylor Hernandez placed first and second, respectively. About 15 children participated.

"I think the kids enjoyed it, and they're all looking at the back of their legs because of the mud that's flicked up," she said.

The SIAC member ran the three-mile trail two hours before the second race of the day.

She said at 9 a.m., the course was pocked with big puddles. An hour later, the puddles were comparable to small ponds or lakes.

"You can't even run around them. At a certain point, you just give in and slosh right through," Ms. Brennan Hearn said.

The stretch between the first and second miles was worst.

Mark Vogt, president of the SIAC, noted that he and others lucked out right before the second race began.

"The rain stopped, which was great," he said, adding that while some people dropped out of the race due to the heavy rains, others vowed to carry on in spite of the wet conditions.

"Nothing stops them," he said of trail runners, who have a hard-core nature, he added.

"You get your feet wet and you're filthy. At 50 years old, I'm like a 15-year-old again," he said of the run.

Joe Brancale, William Berger and Garland Days took the top three spots in the three-mile race.

"It was pretty ugly, but it was fun," said Brancale, noting that the Greenbelt is a great place to run.

Catherine Morrison Buck stood a few feet away from the running path. She was grateful that everybody showed despite having to deal with the rain and mud.

"My goal is to keep this going. To keep it alive," she said.

This weekend

The High Rock Challenge, which is sold out, will have a staggered start beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Hundreds of two-person teams are expected to test their navigational and road-running skills on a course that measures at least 10 kilometers – and often more. Race starts from the soccer field at the Greenbelt Recreation Center, 501 Brielle Ave., Sea View.